Ashtray Smell/Taste

[commonsense]

Ok so I go to this "homebrew club" meetup tonite (only myself and a friend are serious home brewers) and there is a new home brewer there who was excited for us to taste his beers. We felt so bad because his two beers smelled and tasted like an ashtray. It was so disappointing because I sensed his beers could have been good if not for this flaw.

So our group debated all night at what would cause this. We have no solid answer. He tapped into a recent brew tonite and no ashtray presented itself.

Any idea what could cause this? We are all baffled and want answers!

 

[grittanomyces]

Well, carboys do kinda look like those smokers outposts things, but I would probably recommend avoiding emptying the ashtray into it in the future.

 

[grittanomyces]

In all seriousness, is this brewer a smoker? Because Id be surprised if anyone tells you that's a normal off flavor.

I mean, even of he's a smoker, I can't imagine how that would get into the beer, but at least that may help pinpoint the problem I guess

 

[commonsense]

No smokers in his household and that question was brought up several times. Either way, he tasted this beer during bottling and there was no ashtray taste whatsoever. Could it be possible for this to happen during boil? I say NO WAY. What about bottles not being cleaned enough? He does store cleaned bottles in a musty basement but in a box with towels over the box. And he dunks the bottles in starsan directly before bottle filling......

Seriously! ASHTRAY???

 

[flars]

Ok so I go to this "homebrew club" meetup tonite (only myself and a friend are serious home brewers) and there is a new home brewer there who was excited for us to taste his beers. We felt so bad because his two beers smelled and tasted like an ashtray. It was so disappointing because I sensed his beers could have been good if not for this flaw.

So our group debated all night at what would cause this. We have no solid answer. He tapped into a recent brew tonite and no ashtray presented itself.

Any idea what could cause this? We are all baffled and want answers!

What the two beers were and the recipe would help. Some ingredients can have some funky off flavors when not balanced in a recipe.

Now I just have to remember the title of that thread.

 

[Calypso]

Is it possible it was burnt? Like maybe he scorched his wort?

 

[LKABrewer]

Make sure he is not using his sanitizer as a cleaner. I once saw a guy using a single bucket of starsan to clean out old nasty bottles and sanitizer them.

 

[GrogNerd]

local femto-brewery had that EXACT problem and it did turn out to be scorched wort

 

[commonsense]

Yeah someone mentioned possible scorched wort but how is that possible?

 

[kcbeersnob]

Is it possible it was burnt? Like maybe he scorched his wort?

I'd put my money on this.

I had to dump a batch once, because of an ashtray smell. It came from scorched wort. In my case the scorching happened because I was using a stainless hop basket that rested on the bottom of the kettle and did not allow the wort to flow freely under it after the mesh bottom blocked with proteins. This was combined with a jet burner that concentrated heat on the center of the kettle where wort flow was restricted.

 

[wilserbrewer]

If extract brewing, one must turn off the heat prior to adding the extract, and be sure to mix completely into solution before applying heat. Malt syrup or DME will scorch easily if sitting in the bottom of the pot.

 

[flars]

Not receiving auto updates to this thread anymore.
I would guess scorching on the kettle bottom or scorched/dirty submerged heating element.
Problem could also be to heavy use of smoked malts, if they were used.